Titles Research

For my trailer titles, I looked at typical horror poster titles to see what type of font, colour and position I should use for my trailer. I chose three posters - The Exorcist, Scream, The Thing - to analyse. I chose these because they use quite similar techniques when it comes to the title and language on the poster.

The Exorcist uses a bold, white font for it's poster. This is common for horror movies as it stands out against a typically dark background. The font is quite traditional but having it in all capitals makes it look more eye-catching. The traditional font creates a more spooky setting for the film, hinting at the time period in which is was set, and inferring that it is a more traditional horror film. The title is effective as it doesn't take away from the image on the poster - allowing the audience to focus on the image. As in most posters, the extra information is smaller, but still fits with the overall theme of the other titles. The fact that there is nothing behind or in the font, like the other titles I have researched, is effective as it allows the audience to separate the two aspects and focus on the title and then on the front image individually.

Scream uses a similar bold, white font, however, this one is more modern and eye-catching. The use of the letters being spread out is effective in drawing the audience's eyes across the poster and by using a warped shape for the 'M', it creates a more eerie and sinister vibe as if it were a fang or a knife. This puts an emphasis on the end of the title and infers something tense about the film. In contrast to The Exorcist, the title for Scream is at the bottom of the poster. This is effective as it allows the audience to fully take in the image before looking at the title - it draws the eye down the poster rather than up.

The Thing, though technically not a white font, it still bold and stands out from the black background. The way that the word 'Thing' is larger than 'The' in the title is interesting as it emphasises the 'Thing' in the poster and the film. This makes the audience wonder what it is and makes them want to watch the film to find out. The use of the image in the title somewhat answers the audiences question about the 'Thing', however, the image is slightly blurred by the included snow so it is not completely answered. This pathetic fallacy suggests that chaos and destruction may occur, as snow is known to disorient people and cause accidents to happen. The image in the title is effective as it draws the audience's eye to not only the title of the film, but a significant aspect of it. 

Horror films typically use bold white fonts as a way to modernise and create a more high-brow appeal. The use of capital letters is significant in the titles throughout the genre and helps to make it stand out on the poster and catch people's eyes. For my trailer, I will aim to continue this trend by using a white, bold font on a darker and more ominous background.